Blessed with Suffering
Make no mistake: it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, one of the holy Trinity—he who formed the heavens and the earth, it is the hands of the Creator himself—who heals the blind man in the passage we read today. St. John Chrysostom points out: For since [the Jews] had heard that God made […]
The Holy Spirit is the Answer to Our Prayers
Today’s daily gospel reading ended with the Lord saying, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” What does it mean that he will give us the Holy Spirit? Some leftover influence […]
What Is Eternal Life
If any of us were asked to define it, we likely would not give a very biblical answer…or a very Christian answer. And by “Christian” I mean, defining it as Christ does in the words of the Gospel reading this Sunday. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and […]
Is “Heaven Is for Real”, for real?
Not too many years ago a book, Heaven Is for Real, came out about a three-year-old boy dying, going to heaven, and coming back to life. It certainly generated quite a lot of interest and has been widely read (and viewed, after being adapted into a movie). The story, retold by the boy’s father from […]
“Do the People on Earth Know What Awaits Them?”
Now…finally…we make it to one of the best examples to help bring clarity to our questions about what happens after we die. I have shared several warnings: warnings about those who were not dead for long and have limited knowledge of life after death, warnings that our preconceptions can cloud our reasoning in these matters, […]